Breakfast in Klosters

Yesterday I decided to take a train ride across Switzerland, from Gstaad to Klosters, to visit my dear friend Marie and her husband Johan, brother Sam and parents Monika and Bruno.

While Switzerland is a rather small country the mountains really don't allow for direct travel. But the scenic route isn't too shabby and certainly is nothing to complain about.

Marie's whole family is talented and artistic each in different ways. This morning at my request, Marie's father took a picture of our breakfast which represents a typical Swiss breakfast. Soon after he snapped the above picture he disappeared. About five minutes later he reappeared with a freshly printed photograph that was signed and framed. I know I haven't really given you enough of a back story here but this was a special gift and a very sweet gesture. Also, I can't wait to hang this in my Kitchen so I can think of this visit everyday!

On their breakfast table was a selection of homemade jams made by Monika including plum, raspberry and quince, all of which were amazing! Though I think the plum was really my absolute favorite. There was also coffee (of course!), teas, a couple of different loaves of bread, croissants, ham, cheeses, fruits, yogurts, etc... it was quite a delectible spread with oh so many choices! Naturally, I had a little of everything convincing myself that I must have a hearty breakfast to prepare for the upcoming sledding activities on one of the near by mountains. In reality I really didn't think sledding would actually take any energy whatsoever since you just let gravity do all the work. However, strange as this may sound, it was sort of like doing 45 minutes of really super fun pilates ab work. By the time we finished we were three towns away from where we started!
On my train ride back to Gstaad I found out that Howard, my boyfriends brother, was in the middle of preparing a Thai dinner for us. I love curry's and Thai food in general. Also Howard is an amazing chef and can make just about anything ridiculously delicious. Actually he is the saucier at the Gramercy Tavern which just happens to be one of the best restaurants in New York City. Pretty impressive right?!?! So needless to say this news was the cherry on top of one of the best days ever!

Gimme some shuga baby

So I am Switzerland for Christmas....
In preparation for this trip I took a two week break from caffeine, dairy and alcohol and a one week break from all grains and sugar. This was actually an important hiatus since I knew that once here I would go hog wild with the wine, cheese, bread and chocolate. I have to say sugar is really the hardest of all of these to give up. I mean how can you avoid something that looks so very sweet and innocent? These cute sugar cubes are from Co Op which is one of the major grocery stores here in Switzerland.

All I want for Christmas

is this amazing machine! Automatically steams and adds just the right about of milk to your espresso. And you can set that ratio to your specific taste! Grossed out about the idea of milk going rancid in the pipes that deliver that steamy milk to your coffee? Well worry not they have thought of that too. It's self-cleaning, steaming hot water cleans out all the equipment afterward. SO freakin' genius. Too bad it's so expensive. Maybe next year Santa? I'll be good.

Forgot to mention this little beauty is called the Lattissima and is the child of DeLonghi & Nespresso.

GET YOURS

Big Daddy-O!

These are the ultimate grown-up Reeses peanut butter cups. It goes something like this...
Under the layer of milk or dark chocolate is peanut butter praline, caramel, and a hand-made graham cracker crust, topped with a little sprinkle of roasted peanuts. Definitely not sugar free but totally heavenly!
The company is also the only organic, fair trade bean-to-bar chocolate factory in the U.S.
They can be bought from their website or exclusively at whole foods.
GET YOURS

GORAW!

Occasionally when I leave the gym I want something sweet to snack on. There are a number of very temping options in the area but I do my best to steer myself in the direction of the health food store instead. Integral Yoga Natural Foods carries a variety of bars from GORAW. To me these bars are truly a guilt-free snack and I find them to be completely satisfying. This is a winning combination that is hard to come by.
My personal favorite is banana "bread" flax. The flax gives it a nice nutty flavor. I love banana bread and this is not so bad considering it has no sugar, no flour and no oil. In fact its ingredients are 100% organic and consist of sprouted flax seeds, banana, coconut and date. I want to try the "granola" bar too now since I just read that it has become their most popular bar.
GET YOURS

Keri's choice

My job usually takes me to new and interesting places. They don't always have to be far and away or wildly exotic locations. Sometimes it's right here in my very own borough. Did you know if Brooklyn (Kings County) was it's own city it would be the fourth largest cities in the U.S. Crazy right? That said there are many parts of Brooklyn I have never explored.

Recently I was asked to style Keri Russell for Instyle magazine. The story is in the January issue, which is on stands this week, check it out! Did you know Keri lives in Brooklyn? The story follows Keri around to her favorite neighborhood spots, places she likes to visit on a typical weekend here in Brooklyn. I would like to take this moment to also mention she was an absolute dream to work with! Our first location was the corner of Grand Ave. and Lafayette Ave better know as Clinton Hill/Fort Greene. It was there that I discovered two great places right across the street from each other.



Choice Market (318 Lafayette Ave.) was Keri's pick for her favorite bakery/coffee joint. It's an unassuming neighborhood gem and I am thrilled to add it to my list. Everything is proudly on display behind glass cases. The croissants and pastries are picture perfect and look close to those you would find at a true French patisserie. I am sucker for a good buttery croissant and would definitely have a daily habit if this place were in my neighborhood. The very thought of them is making me drool. They also serve "real food" like slow roasted meats and vegetables, cold salads, warm sandwiches and soups. The half chicken on the bone is pretty tasty stuff. From what I have been reading it seems they are opening a new location in Dumbo. Lucky you Lombardo family!



I stumbled upon Grand Dakar (285 Grand Ave.) while in search of a bathroom, one of the many joys of being on location. The restaurant was not open yet since it was still pretty early but the owner Pierre Thiam was gracious enough to let me in. I had some time to kill since Keri was getting her hair and make up so Pierre and I got to talk. He told me about his new book which also happens to be his first book. Wanting to support my new friend I recently ordered myself a copy, which is available on Amazon.

The book it's self is really quite special. Native New Yorker and master of photography Adam Bartos tells us the story of Pierre's family and friends who are all pictured in the book along with photos of the actual dishes. It is very colorful, unpretentious and captures the essence of an everyday lifestyle. Senegalese food is known to have an unmistakable French influence however this book also boasts influences such as Creole, Portuguese and Vietnamese. The recipes are interesting and yet also seem to be very straightforward and uncomplicated. I am looking forward to making any one of these dishes I just can't decide which one to start with! And a little FYI...The majority of Senegalese are Muslim so pork is not really on the menu.

Root down and warm up

I think it's kind of funny that just as finished writing my last post expressing my dislike of root vegetables I picked up the latest issue of Eating Well and there is a 7-page article called "rediscovering roots". Now I should be specific, I am not prejudice against all root vegetables just some. I love sweet potatoes, carrots and beets. To me celeriac is really best when cooked a la Francaise like a remoulade, gratin, puree' or just simply braised. I have never personally tried to cook celeriac, parsnip, rutabaga, turnips, salsify, burdock or dikon. Pretty much anything you can do with a potato you can do with these vegetables as well.

We know it's important to eat local and to eat in season. According to Chinese medicine cold and raw foods cool down the digestive fire while warm foods heat up the digestive fire. Nature gives us root vegetables in abundance during the winter because they are warming foods and well not much else can grow in the cold. So let's not work against nature this winter and let's try to embrace a root. This means not eating salads for lunch and dinner like you do during the summer months. Let's face it salad's aren't the first thing to come to mind when you think of cozy and warm foods. Also cozy foods don't necessarily have to be things like mac n' cheese you could make a root vegetable gratin instead. Chances are you be equally satiated and won't miss the pasta.

In conclusion, I am thankful that Eating Well has written this article. I am going to do a little kitchen therapy. It certainly helps that all the recipes look very appealing. I suggest you too give an unfamiliar root a try. I am working my way toward total recovery one root at a time.

Mmmmm food

Firstly, Silkstone slow food now has their website up and running with their weekly menus.
SILKSTONE SLOWFOOD




Secondly, did you know the Essex Street Market is no longer ghetto? When I lived down there I would occasionally be forced to pick up a couple of produce items from there and would literally have to run in and run out with my nose plugged because the place was so foul with the smell of dried fish! I mean the fact that they have a web site blows my mind. I have to go see this with my own two eyes to believe it.
ESSEX STREET MARKET



Thirdly, I want to go visit Saxelby cheese in the "new and improved" Essex Street Market.
I don't mind the stench of cheese. You will find no European cheeses here but the owner seems confidant that she has found the same if not better cheeses here in our very own country!
SAXELBY CHEESE



Fourthly, my good friend, Laura, sent me a link to a Brooklyn based company called Sweet Deliverance NYC and it looks pretty sweet to me. They do ready made food deliveries to Manhattan and Brooklyn.
You pay $150 joining fee for the season to participate in a CSA (community supported agriculture) share program. Then of course there is the cost of the meals themselves which vary depending on your needs and wants. Every week they email you a menu of dishes made from local organic ingredients and you choose what you want from it. Voila, delicious food arrives at your door every Monday (or every other Monday). It is not a three meal a day kind of thing it is more a bunch of individual dishes you choose from, including dessert!
SWEET DELIVERANCE

My two cents? Oh, thanks for asking. This is not like the Co-Op because you don't have volunteer. And who has time for that anyways? It's also not like an organic produce delivery services because the food is completely ready made. And it's also not like most meal deliveries services which delivery three to five meals every single morning.

My only issue with organic produce delivery services during the winter months is that they send you a box of mostly root type vegetables. Now that really doesn't interest me. Most of the time you never end up cooking everything before your next delivery arrives. This is because some of the produce in your box might be foreign to you. For instance have you ever once bought a parsnip? What the hell do you do with it? Don't ask me, I don't like parsnips. I am sort of not really into root vegetables or tubers. Maybe one day. Personally, I think organic produce delivery is more genius in the summer and in the fall when there are so many heavenly fruits.

Clean living

This week I rediscovered something. Just because olive oil is good for you doesn't mean you can or should go crazy with it. SO, I am offering up an alternative for you to add to your cooking repertoire. Use this when you want something "light" or if you are bored with your food being greasy and/or always starting every dish with olive oil.

Get ready, here it comes... BROTH! I know you probably are already aware of this simple cooking method but it's easily forgotten so I just wanted to remind you and myself.

Chicken, vegetable or beef, organic, low sodium or however you like, there are many options for you to choose from when it comes to broth. While making your own broth is probably wonderful, who the hell has time for that? Cooks Illustrated magazine (aka the bible) tested a bunch of the most popular broths out there and named good ole school Swanson organic broth as their winner.

So instead of breading or frying try poaching in broth, water or wine and don't forget to add fresh herbs and peppercorns. People mostly poach fish and chicken but today for lunch I poached some thin strips of beef sort of like a Mongolian hot pot. Sorry, I didn't take a picture I left my camera at home but was a georgous looking and tasting lunch with bok choy, kale, bean sprouts, mushrooms, ginger and garlic.

If you are unfamiliar with poaching you basically bring the poaching liquid of your choice to a boil, drop your protein into the liquid and reduce to a simmer. Cooking time will vary depending on what you are cooking. I like to cut my red meat into skinny long strips and only cook it for about a minute or two so that it doesn't become rubbery. For more specific instructions click here for HOW TO POACH.

Coconut macaroons

Adapted from my fave baker Mani Niall of Mani's bakery in LA.

I pretty much follow his recipe except I use Let's Do Organic reduced fat unsweetened organic coconut and add 1/2 a vanilla bean. Oh, and I have used both regular white whole wheat flour from King Arthur and whole wheat pastry flour. Either will do really.

They are in the oven right now and smell so sweet!

Makes 12 macaroons

Parchment paper for baking sheet
1 3/4 cups unsweetened desiccated coconut
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple sugar
3 large egg whites
2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 vanilla bean (cut down the middle and scrape the tiny seeds, discard bean/shell)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the top part of a double boiler or a medium heatproof bowl, combine the coconut, all the maple sugar, the egg whites, vanilla bean, flour, and salt. Place the bowl over medium saucepan of boiling water over low heat. Do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Cook, stirring often, until the maple sugar is almost completely melted and the mixture is stiff enough to hold its shape when a small amount is formed into a mound, about 8 minutes.

Divide the dough into 12 portions and place on the baking sheet. Using a moistened finger, press each portion of dough into a kiss-shaped mound about 1 3/4 inches wide at the base.

Bake until the macaroons are golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Cool on a wire cake rack. Store the macaroons in an airtight container at room temperature.